Colorado announces rules for recreational pot sales

FILE -- John Condon of Denver sold T-shirts at Civic Center in Denver on April 20, 2013. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

A marijuana plant flourishes under grow lights at a warehouse in Denver. (Ed Andrieski, Associated Press)

DENVER—Marijuana buyers will have to show identification and perishable pot snacks will carry expiration dates when Colorado marijuana retailers open for business next year.

State officials released more than 60 pages of detailed rules Monday on how the sales of recreational marijuana and edible marijuana products will be licensed and regulated.

Recreational pot has been legal in Colorado since last year, but retail sales don't begin until January. The voter-approved marijuana legalization measure adopted last year required the department to release rules by July 1.

The Colorado Legislature set broad parameters for recreational pot sales earlier this year, but many nitty-gritty rules were left to the Department of Revenue.

The regulations are largely dry details that make pot seem more like a loaf of bread or an over-the-counter sinus remedy than a party drug.

Buyers have to produce a government-issued photo ID to prove they're at least 21. Marijuana-laced snacks that can spoil have to carry an expiration or use-by date.

Labels have to list the potency of the drug and carry warnings such as "There may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product" and "Keep out of the reach of children."

The rules also detail exact specifications for who can work in marijuana businesses and how the drug can be transported and stored.

The department's rules indicate it plans to establish seed-to-sale tracking, making producers and sellers responsible for each plant destined for retail sale.

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The state's current medical marijuana business is subject to the same rule, though the department hasn't been able to adequately fund the seed-to-sale tracking. State officials believe that if voters approve steep pot taxes this fall—a 15 percent excise tax and a 15 percent sales tax—they'll be able to properly monitor every pot plant.

Washington state, the only other state to authorize marijuana use without a doctor's recommendation, is also finalizing draft rules for retail pot sales starting next year. Both states await word from the U.S. Department of Justice about how it plans to respond to the states' defiance of federal drug law.

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